Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-06-30
THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OHIO.
By W. YELcH.
[cqppighted. An rights ressred,l

copyrighted. All rights reserredl
PART FIRsr-THE PIONEER PERIOD.
THE MOUND BUILDERS.
'Deitly fashioned for war and the chase,
Thou mute souvenier OF afast-fAdng race
Speak Of the pastl-How long hast thou lain
Meath the mould and the sod, the snow and the
rain7
''when did the strong hand by which thou vast
sped. tr-a
Grow cold and numb, and nerveless and deadi i.
What were thy tiumphs In murderous iight7
For whose didst thou hurtle-the wrong or the
right" r.
On an Indian Arrou.
CHAPTER FRsr-THE GREAT ZOE ACE.
Fortunately for us, indeed, our early his
tory is not shrouded in fable, tradition or
legend. The story of the founding of the
city of Rome Is among the great myths of
history; the origin of Paris can never be
known; the foundations of the great metro
polls of the world, London, were laid in
times whereof history preserved no record,
the landing of our ancient Saxon progenitors
in England has become almost as legendary:
but the landing of the pilgrim fathers on our
shores is so recent an event that it has barely
had time to become recognized as a remarka-
BILE episode in the worlds history.
The settlement and the civilization of our
country were accomplished within period
illumined by the clear of history. The
foundations or our political institutions we're
laid in late generations, and it is not difficult
to trace their inception and progress down to
the present day. 1t is not difficult to trace
the ancestry and lineage of any American
family through the ten or more generations
that have existed on American soil; but our
Republican form of government has not
fostered proper regard for ancestral ties.
Beyond this comparatively recent period
of history there extends nearly impenetra-
BILE veil of tradition, of silence, and of my
stery. 1t is the story of races which are fast
passing away and fading out of the memory
of man. Beyond even this period of known
Indian tribes extends long and unknown
period of time-the age of "The Mound
Builders" The story of the Mound Builders
IS involved in almost impenetrable darkness
and mystery, while the ultimate fate of their
successors-the more recent tribes of Indians
is certain, and the evidences of their
habitation, except in remote frontier locali-
ties, will soon be entirely obliterated. But
the Mound Builders, on the contrary, left
monuments which will last as long as time
holds sway and the world holds together,
utterly imperishable until the "crack of
DOOM" In our own State there are few re-
naming memorials of the later red faces;
their old landmarks have given place to
more suitable monuments of mans industry
and invention. While the story of European
civilization on this continent can be traced
with precision, we should not become forget
full of the past nor neglectful of its precious
memorials and monuments; and especially is
this desirable since the Ohio Valley was the
great strong-ho and stamping ground"
Of the once mighty but now extinct nation of
"Mound Builders"
THE GAVE DwELLERs.
Among the Oldest evidences of prehistoric
man on our soil, we can cite, first, the habi-
tations of the "Cave Dwellers," leaves on
the Cuyahoga river) the supposed earliest
people on the globe, who lived before or
about the time Of the Glacial Epoch, accord
ing to the deductions and discoveries of
scientific men. IN -.
The Gave Dwel1ers evidently lived in the
Paleolithic Era or "Old Stone Age" which
is separated from the Meolithic Era or
Newer Stone Age" by vast and unknown
lapse of time known as the Glacial Epoch
the last cold spell of the Pleistocene Cycles
q period 80 cold that no life could exist az.
cept 1t tropical regions. This Neolithic aoe.
since the Glacial Epoch, when added to the
later Bronze and Iron ages, and the historical
period since, is but the smallest portion of
time compared to the vast Preglacial Era
1t has been decided by the most conservative
scientists that the modern era beginning
with the end OF the Glacial Epoch, can safely
be set somewhere about q, COO years back. in.
stead of 5000, so that modern man has lived
on tins planet and perhaps within the con-
tines OF this State, that long ago, and the
Mound Builders can be considered tn have
inhabited the Ohio Valley that long 400, or
to have succeeded the ancient Cave Dwellers.
driving them from their caves.
Col. Charles Whittlesey, late President of
tne Northern Ohio Historical Society, in his
account OF an exploration along the Cuyahoga
the fact that he found artificial babitations
IN the rocks forming the sides of the river,
whlch, although narrow, has cut channel
down the northern side of the dividing ridge
between that river and the Tuscarawas. In
places, the chasm made is deeper than the
stream Is wide at its head. On the sides
were caves containing the bones of animals
ana men, proving that they were once in
ha0lteo by human beings.
zen. Bierce, in his History of Summit
tounty' t; corroborates from personal examina-
found also, Tin Green township, Summit
county, plateau covered by great numbers
OF stones from four to six feet in circum-
ference, and slightly elevated above the sur
face of the ground, with comparatively
even surface on top on which it is supposed
sacrifices were made.
Near by, is the old Indian trail once used
in passing from the Sandusky county to the
Ohio river, along the ridge. No evidence
was to be found near these stone affairs, of
eltner calcined bones or charred wood, nor
any Indian implements, to indicate that the
affairs had been used by any of the modern
tribes. The conclusion is, that these affairs
and caves were used by people anterior to
the modern Indians and probably prior to
the Mound Builders. Passing down the
Cuyahoga, Col Whittlesey found earth-works
and other evidences of later race than the
Cave Dwellers; and further on, he found re-
mains resembling regular Notifications,
evincing still higher civilization,
Mr.. Mitchener, in his History of the
Tuscarawas and Muskingum Valleys" offers
a conclusion drawn from the above which
reads extremely plausible, sbut can not be
wholly accepted: "First, there was a race
not knowing the use of tools, which lived in
caves and among rocks, and piled up loose
stones to worship and use in worship; second,
a race which could move earth with imple-
ments and erect earth defenses, and piled up
earth for burial and sactifciaI purposes, (the
Mound Builders); third, race which worked
stone and earth into regular Notifications;
fourth, the race Of red men which came after,
and kicked down the stone affairs and earth
work, burning all they could, the mounds be-
ing used as places of lookout" This seems
credible if he had left out the third race. The
first race is undoubtedly Pal@olithic or
Glacial mantle Cave Dwellers of the
Cuyahoga Valley, as cited above. But in
order to understand this race thoroughly, we
hol hnva 20 I,a 4r tho i.